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Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" as a Parable of Our Time

Clint Smith The New Yorker
“Invisible Man” ends with the protagonist being chased by policemen during a riot in Harlem, and falling into a manhole in the middle of the street. The police put the cover of the manhole back in place, trapping the narrator underground. “I’m an invisible man and it placed me in a hole—or showed me the hole I was in, if you will—and I reluctantly accepted the fact,” he says.

Media Have Misjudged Fascists Before

John Broich The Conversation
Not long before Mussolini and Hitler came to power, much of the US press believed that power would "moderate" them, or considered them something of a joke. Are we seeing similar mistakes today?

The Hidden Powers Andy Puzder Would Hold at the Department of Labor

Danny Vinik Politico
The secretary of labor isn’t exactly the sexiest job in the government. But president-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Andy Puzder, a fast-food restaurant CEO, could have profound effects that touch millions of U.S. workers and companies almost immediately.

Capitalism, Democracy, and Du Bois’s Two Proletariats

J. Phillip Thompson Items: Insights From the Social Sciences
What could emerge from an understanding of the struggle between the two proletariats and its connection to US democracy and institutions is a more powerful and forward-looking narrative of class and race than either a utopian universalist liberalism or a narrow-minded working class incapable of advancing democracy.

Hypocrisy Behind the Russian-Election Frenzy

Robert Parry Consortium News
The madness sweeping Official Washington and the mainstream media about alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election is pervaded by breathtaking hypocrisy, writes Robert Parry.

The Peace Movement and Resistance in Dark Times

Joseph Gerson, Speakout Op-Ed Truthout
Our responsibility is to resist, resist and transform. As we have already seen, our increasingly unified movement will act across a broad spectrum of issues and approaches: Opposing confirmation of Trump's most egregious cabinet appointments, and pressing Senators to filibuster oppressive laws. Change will take place in one-on-one conversations with relatives, neighbors and fellow students. It will involve mass marches like the Million Women's March on Inauguration Day.